10/15/15

Back in July, 2006 Kendra and Seth, two ordinary kids, entered the world of the extraordinary when they went to stay with their grandparents, the caretakers of Fablehaven. In the years that followed, four more books in the series were published, and millions of copies were eagerly read by the many fans of the series.

As far as I know, Fablehaven was the first (fictional) large sanctuary for magical creatures--individual magic creatures had been cared for in earlier books, but Fablehaven is huge, and full of multitudes of different beings. All those who have enjoyed exploring its secrets and meeting its inhabitants will be pleased to learn that there is now a visual guide to those multitudes--The Caretakers Guide to Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull, illustrated by Brandon Dorman (Shadow Mountain, Oct 13). This lavishly illustrated handbook brings all the details of Fablehaven to life--you can learn more about your favorite monsters, all the different magical artifacts and potions, and explore the many specific locations within the preserve.

It's a bit more than an encyclopedia--little handwritten notes, offering comments and clarifications from some of the characters are scattered through the illustrations, making it especially fun for fans of the series, who will feel like they are meeting their old friends again!

Kids who really enjoy the specifics of fantasy worldbuilding, who really want to study different kinds of dragon, for instance, will enjoy this, even if they might not have read all the books. I myself have never been a true fan of Fablehaven, but even so I happily read this book, thinking how useful it would be as inspiration for young creators of their own fantasy worlds! And fans ofFablehaven, for whom it was created, will love it.

The Caretaker's Guide to Fablehaven is also a gateway to the first book in the Fablehaven sequel series, Dragonwatch(coming Fall 2016), and holds clues to the characters and creatures that will appear in the new books.